Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Excellent and Virtuous."

"Watching" A Wei fade from hand to foot, gradually becoming an illusory shadow that could no longer interact with him in any way, a muffled sigh echoed in Fu Qian's chest as he offered a slight bow.

The remaining half of his left arm reached into his own severed neck at a bizarre angle, pulling out a head with blurred features, and he casually made the sign of the cross.

Normally, he would just let the head grow back on its own.

But the exhaustion this time was far too severe, so he simply switched to manual mode.

"The cycle of samsara, karma, and retribution. As you depart for the Unseen Hill, I hope you see the truth early and achieve true fruition, so as not to waste this seat's effort in enlightening you."

"Who on earth are you..."

A faint thought echoed in his mind, clearly coming from Brother A Wei, who was now little more than a silhouette.

"Foolish child!"

"My name is Andiel. I once challenged karma..."

He didn't finish his sentence, as Brother A Wei's presence had completely faded away.

Almost at the exact same moment, the thick stench of decay vanished without a trace.

Sensing the shift, Fu Qian scanned his surroundings, entirely certain that the insurmountable Death Boundary no longer existed. All that remained was widespread devastation.

Things did not seem very active anymore.

Clutching the Pseudo-God Incarnation, ready to activate it at a moment's notice, Fu Qian watched the scene and let out a satisfied sigh of relief.

What he had just done was quite simple. Facing an existence that bordered on a Divine Emissary, one even immune to death thanks to a Deity's favor, he had tested out the reward from his last mission for the first time: the Ring known as Ash Bestowal.

He hadn't let the worm send him away because he believed there was still a chance to banish his opponent.

As it turned out, the status of the Unseen Hill was incredibly high. The Blessing of the Deep had pierced right through the Death Boundary and delivered the God of Death's little tool worm to the other side.

According to Ash Bestowal's description, A Wei should have already been sent to the Unseen Hill, entering the same state as the Natives and forever unable to break free.

As for his clownish appearance and exaggerated lines during the process, his motive was very simple—Fu Qian figured that since the guy was heading there anyway, he might as well use him to send regards to his friends on the other side.

He wasn't sure what state Brother A Wei would take when reborn in the Unseen Hill, but the entity would definitely remember his origins and the fact that a psychotic clown named Andiel had sent him there.

Once Akasha and the others learned this information, they might interpret it as a success story. After all, they weren't entirely certain if he truly was an outsider.

Even false hope could effectively boost one's sense of happiness.

...

Meanwhile, given how favored A Wei had been, Fu Qian had to consider the possibility of a Divine Entity's wrath after banishing him, so he had made preparations immediately.

After all, in the event of a true divine descent, his pitiful SAN Value would definitely suffer further damage.

However, reality proved otherwise. The legendary God of Death didn't react in the slightest, and everything remained completely calm.

These Deities who went around recruiting toolmen did not seem to be in very good shape...

Recalling his several previous experiences, Fu Qian silently drew a conclusion.

While making this deduction, Fu Qian didn't waste any time. He first canceled the effect of Ash Bestowal, then took a few steps to the side and examined his mission target.

Amidst the widespread devastation, Jiang En leaned against his seat without a sound. Although he hadn't woken up, his complexion looked relatively normal.

For most of the preceding battle, A Wei's protection had shielded him from the effects of the Death Boundary. Furthermore, to prevent completing the mission too early and interrupting the banishment, Fu Qian had intentionally avoided him. Otherwise, Jiang En would hardly have remained in one piece.

Then again, A Wei's connection with this world had rapidly weakened toward the end, meaning his protection should have theoretically weakened as well. And there had been a slight gap of time between that moment and the Death Boundary's final dissipation.

Theoretically, even if an exposed Jiang En wasn't completely drained of life, his complexion shouldn't have looked this healthy...

Did the draining of vitality require a specific target?

Addressing this slightly illogical detail, Fu Qian thought back to the final moments of the process and came up with a possible answer.

While A Wei was being subjected to the Deep Gloom Blessing, his own life drain seemed to have slowed down as well.

He hadn't looked too deeply into it at the time, but thinking about it now, could it be that within the Death Boundary, the vitality lost to decay always had to go somewhere?

Simply put, the life drain only occurred when A Wei was present, much like how a waterfall could only exist with a drop in elevation.

It carried a hint of the balance of life and death... The exact form of the Dominator of Death's authority truly let the imagination run wild.

Even as he mused, the Decree of Return had already activated, and the bizarre writhing of flesh and blood appeared across Jiang En's body once more.

Without Brother A Wei around this time, they quickly yielded to the Heart-Purifying Universal Kindness Incantation.

"Great Fortune... Wisdom King?"

As his "true self" lay on the verge of death, Brother Jiang En finally woke up. Taking a clear look at the figure standing before him, he asked in sheer disbelief.

Fu Qian fully understood why he was so shocked.

To ensure outward consistency and maximize the conversion effect, Fu Qian had chosen to manipulate his facial features after removing his mask, shifting his flesh until his real face perfectly mirrored the mask.

Seeing a face like that the instant he woke up, it was only natural for his psyche to take a bit of a hit.

"Originally there is nothing at all, where can dust alight."

Facing a Jiang En who was currently doubting his very existence, Fu Qian maintained a solemn and dignified appearance, his voice crystal clear, looking as though he were about to ascend.

"Is not the dispelling of obsessions an obsession itself? This seat's deliverance of others today is, in truth, delivering himself. How joyous, how joyous indeed."

[Current mission completed, 3-0009 Containment successful]

Before his words could even fade, the notification of his completed mission chimed in his ears.

This meant that under the Decree of Return, the "true self" coaxed out of Jiang En had been completely crushed. He had thoroughly ruined the man's fateful opportunity.

This fallen genius had lost the possibility of advancing through his previous ritual.

And in all likelihood, he had lost it forever.

Still, it was better than dying, wasn't it?

Fu Qian felt absolutely zero psychological burden over this, and naturally, he didn't require the man's gratitude.

Besides, in his view, although the ritual had failed, the man might not have completely lost all hope for advancement—a Deity's covenant was hardly something that could be broken so easily.

At this very moment, Jiang En might already be part of the tool worm club. He simply hadn't provided any contributions during his probationary period.

The Jiang Clan might still welcome a new brand of genius—one defined by governing through non-action, who simply leveled up from time to time.

Of course, this also gave him a useful reference point for observing the Dominator of Death.

Even Chief Yuan had unwittingly been spared a whole lot of trouble.

It could truly be called a win-win situation for everyone. No wonder they always said that harmony fosters wealth.

Amidst his musings, the scenery shifted, and Fu Qian returned to the familiar Warehouse.

...

"Why does it look like this in here? Where did that guy go?"

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, Jiang Chengqing and his group—who had rushed inside upon noticing the Death Boundary's dissipation—stared blankly at the deep crater in the ground.

Uh...

Faced with that question, Jiang En just sat there, his eyes completely vacant as he slowly shook his head.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!